


On Lions and Dragons

by InkAntlers



Category: InkAntlers, Original Work
Genre: M/M, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-09-05 23:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20281564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkAntlers/pseuds/InkAntlers
Summary: Brief takes at writing worldbuilding.Snippets of the lives of Lukas Kron and Luis Hallifax as they try to figure out how to deal with life in the current situation they are in.





	1. On lions and dragons

The crowned prince moved the large amounts of paper off his desk, it has been a week or so since he hasn't gone out from his tiny cozy white bedroom. At least he has opened the curtains to let the sun come in, the massive amounts of plants needed so anyways.It was all old scripts and books what he had found in the farthest corners of the private library his father had. 

His beard has grown a tiny amount, nothing but to give him what seemed to be a scruffy unkept look.  He has been looking into the forbidden files about the Drica kingdom for days now. So exauhsting just by knowing the mere fact that he was risking his head for it.  It has been a few months since him and the handsome model... had shared the bed. His mind has not drifted away from the strange textures and sounds Luis has made that night. It was all oddly uncommon-like as if his body just worked totally different to his. There was only one type of people that may have acted such way. 

Books held the keys to the infinite, that what his father used to say back in the day when there was still some sense in what he spoke. He took it to heart and always dug through files for answers. It was then where he found the old manuscript about the drica lineage. After hours and hours of digging through he found something forbidden in the land he stood on , a photo of the former drica king himself. 

Lukas' skin turned pale as he looked at young visage of the now former king- in his early age of 20 posing with his grandfather in the great Critero treaties of ever so long ago before .. well, before everything went to hell.  The strong jawline was present, thin slick eyes and horns that shaped a crescent moon. He was covered in purple and red hued scales. The man would say it was Luis himself if it wasn't for the obvious horns, scales and well, ears. Something the model lacked after an accident when he was a child.  He knew his grandfather perished months after in the hands of the same man that was smiling in the picture but what really alarmed him was the fact that the Drica crowned King was a splitting copy of his now forbidden lover.   
How old did dricas lived? 300 years? It was still impossible that his lover may be-  
The blonde shuffled through more papers until he reached a letter his father never sent to the former king.   
A letter from almost 45 years ago. Of a stalemate in the 100 year war that only ended lasting 1 mere dreadful day.

"It has come to my attention the dissappearence of your first-bon kin, we offer you a week stalemate in this time of mourning. You must seize arms and we will respond as such. 

May Pia the Everlasting guide him through the afterlife." 

How old was Luis?  
Lukas knew that Luis attended college with him, he was 20 or so just like him, at least he said so. Was it all a lie? It just alligned too well. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions but it just clicked to him.   
Maybe he was the rightful heir to the throne of his father's sworn enemy .  
But where were his attributes? Dricas had scales, tails, all that messy stuff, he did bit him and made him feel wonderful but he could swear his body was just sedated by such thing... maybe-  
Luis has directly asked him to let him use the bathroom the morning right after and he came back with the same familiar injuries all over him.

The prince covered his mouth as the thought of Luis mutilating himself for almost 30 years just re-emerged in his mind. It made him sick, throw up even. The scars always went away a few minutes after, he always assumed it was a skin condition he has had since college. Lukas never asked about them, he just knew they appeared after he took a shower. Maybe it was just a reaction to the different temperatures, the blue eyed man has always been so cold to the touch. Luis says he hails from the Har region, hence his cold temperature.  
He held his hand against his forehead as a sudden wave of questions- with no answers- just rushed through. It made him realize how much he did not know about his closest friend. After 20 years of distance it felt like he was meeting a whole new man. But yet again this would justify the 20 years of isolation the prince suffered due to a rare "disease" he had after he- 

Never mind.

And the obvious just appeared on his mind.  He had a lot explaining to do. 

The blonde rose up from the desk and went straight to the screen on the side of his closet. Tapping as a screen revealed itself, he typed the ever so familiar phone number, which took a while for the other end to pick up. 

"Hey how are y-" 

Before he could finish the prince interrupted, his tone serious and stressed. He needed to be as vague as possible so - if anyone was listening- did not raise suspicions. 

"Ava's entrance hall, in 40 minutes. Be there.

I have a question about... a cloth we are importing for the brand." 

And just like that, he turned off the screen, grabbed his coat and rushed out of the room. 

It was rare to have instances where they even met, often it was an excuse to use the brand to justify them. These instances were always followed by long nights of wine and chatter, sometimes instances of holding each other close and thinking of old times when things were easier. 

This.  
This was not that case.   
Lukas had never called him out of the blue like this which made the situation worse. He opened the doors of the long hall that made the entrance of Ava Manetti's mansion. Ava was the only one, apart from his sister and Quintel, that knew the whole issue going on. Tobias has been too busy to even go out, so he never bothered to tell him. Ava might as well be the guardian he had, she found him first all those years back after the great incident, nursed him back to life, made him feel safe after all that happened.   
He always came to her for help and so did the crowned prince. The faceless woman learned how they danced at this point, enough to call out the few butlers for some privacy. 

"Boy, his highness told me you needed some alone time together, hopefully its for somethi-" 

"I think he found out." 

The man cut her off as he took off his coat, arranging the white silk shirt he wore till his elbows. He did not had much time to change into something proper, so plain white and some formal pants will do. 

The big woman finally walked into the center of the room, revealing her figure better, she was wide and curvy, graceful in every aspect. For a 130 year old Ume age has treated her more than nicely. She wore a long white gown which was common for Ume at this time of day, not even one moon had shown up, it was too early. 

"Well you slept with him dear what did you expect." 

She sounded as if Luis was taking the prince for a dumbass. 

"People don't realize, you know that, not one had asked. " 

He was pacing back and forth now, he wanted this to be over, gods, he hated confrontation so much. 

"Not everyone knows about your lineage in the first place, Boy. It is taboo to even speak about them. For all the world knows, dricas are three headed monsters with eight tails that eat people." 

The long haired man turned to her, his blue orbitals making circles around her as he narrowed his eyes. 

"What does that mean?"

Ava raised her hand that was now holding a glass of water. 

"You cannot be this dumb. Have you ever been to a history class?" 

"Explain yourself, you know i only took photography, all the shit happening around us is not my business in any way. I have enough problems as it is." 

"Boy, you're a blue one, back in my time, when i was your age and the nations still spoke. There was legend about the blue heir being born in the future, one of the oracles foresaw it. That or some none sense about a disease killing us all or something. Last one was kind of a dictator that did massive genocide and all..

Blues are born every millennia, people would turn continents upside down for your scales. When you came and told me that you were growing blue scales i knew that the royal family would have a special eye for you. They have a special eye for everything." 

"And why in the GODS name haven't you told me this super convenient piece of information that i could have used a LONG time ago?" 

The woman snorted and shrugged. 

"You never asked. And the whole disease part is pretty depressing if you ask me. Better don't tarnish your delicate self esteem like that." 

"Ha ha, funny" 

Huffing, Luis placed his hands on his face again, pacing back and fourth as he tried to figure out if and how he should lie to the only person that really mattered to him at the moment. The drica was as simple as that, he set one or two people in his list of priorities and everything else can go to hell for all he cares.  A mess of jumbled thoughts were stopped when the front door opened. There he was, wearing a long slick black coat with the ever so familiar royal cross and some dark delicate shoes. Everything was delicate about him, from the hair that ruffled up when someone passed a hand through it to the subtle angles his jaw had. He loved everything about it.  Everything but the serious expression the prince had.  Oh no he was pissed.

Ava made her way out the moment he went in, she had no intent of meddling with that mess. Which left the two men alone in in the wide hall, staring at each other as if they already were having this inner conversation with each other. Lukas was the one to break the ice right away, slamming papers onto a nearby table and taking his coat off. 

"WHEN-" 

He started, that tone was not good. 

"Where you going to -fucking- tell me you're royalty.

AND not only that but Drica Royalty for crying out loud! 

I was 20 years locked inside my house because your dumb ass forgot to mention that - wow Lukas would you see the fact that i am a sHIPPED OUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT THAT JUST TURNS OUT TO F- " 

He didn't even finish the sentence before walking up to Luis and pushing him back, but his fit stopped completely the moment he saw Luis' speechless face. Not because he was getting a scolding, not because Lukas was THIS mad but because- 

"Royalty?" 

A silence. Then Luis followed.

"No. No no. You're fucking around with me i am NOT royalty i am the son of some crazy woman that did death machines in her basement. We established this. You MET my parents. I aint royalty, this is bullshit." 

The prince recomposed his posture and crossed his arms. 

"What color are you?" 

"Blue" 

"What color of eyes were your 'parents'" 

"Green- and orange? but that-"

"What object did i find inside you?" 

"The sword of the Twelve but what does that have to do w-"

"So you're telling me that you are the son of a commoner and a har, which happen to have green and orange eyes- and so did their parents mind you. Both with tan skin- way darker than your pale white boy ass- AND it just magically happens you're a whole different species." 

The blue eyed man looked actually distressed, he always suspected something weird, he was not an idiot. But this was just way off his line of thinking. 

"I never met my father, Lukas. I just assumed she had a fling before the mess happened i -" 

Finally. He placed his hands on his pockets and shrugged, a dog with his tail between his legs.

"I'm a bastard son Lukas, i know you want to see fairytales and miracles everywhere but i am notthat big of a deal."

Lukas frowned but shook it off, walking back to the table and taking one of the pages, that one old photograph he found in the library. In all honesty he was a bit hurt by the statement. He wasn't a man that had his head in the clouds like that, he really wasn't. The soft delicate hand pulled the photograph up. 

"Use my eyes." 

Before he could complain the blonde glanced his way. 

"I said, use my eyes Luis." 

Knowing resisting was pretty much not an option at this point, the blind model walked to him and held his free hand, his thumb tracing above the tattoos that Lukas made on himself some months back.  The blonde's pupils turned blue as the Bo intercepted his sight. Luis had trained him to handle the link but his training wasn't enough as it still strained him slightly.  One of his eyes was slightly bluer than the other and it looked almost as if it was forced open. Still the blonde persisted and while one of his eyes had tears rolling down, he fixated himself on the photograph.  Suddenly, Luis' grip tensed as he took a sharp inhale, now being able to see through the prince's eyes: a photo of someone almost identical to him.  The silence lasted too long. 

Lukas broke it by simply saying: 

"Meet your father." 

Before the drica can come up with any logical excuse or just deny the statement in its crazy whole, the prince stared at him and added in a more delicate tone.

"Lu, the Sword of the Twelve belonged to the drica Knightess, only a drica of royal blood can wield it and survive it for as long as you did." 

The blind man pulled away from his hand, making a small gasp while he made a step back and started tracing his own tattoos in thought.

"But- i'm de-" 

"Dead or not, no one can hold that thing in for 20 years. You know how these things work, you cant fuck around with the relics." 

The blonde raised his eyebrows, cleaning his eye. Then he held the man before him close, placing one of his hands on his sharp jaw and slowly getting on his tip-toes to see him better. With this conversation some things pieced together more but now it was not the time to address it. There was no ill intend behind Luis' denial on the topic. Maybe he did believed the story he told him all those years back: about being a bastard son of a fling his mother once had, a mistake nonetheless. 

Like Valencia. 

Like him. 

They were all a series of bad choices stacked upon each other.  The royal blonde's expression softened, something Luis did not expect. What he expected was his lover to send him to a facility and rip him apart- or worse- public execution. After all, he was the family that hated dricas the worst, he is the son of his father after all. The man that only breathed out hatred for the other nation. He accepted the fact of living out a lie if it meant having him still close, having him still care. I nstead the less probable case scenario happened, his lips suddenly met the prince's. It was a soft gesture, a kind and caring reassurance to let Luis process the whole conversation. Lukas mumbled.

"I knew you were special." 

Just like that, the blind man felt that strange feeling once again. The feeling that maybe there was a little hope in whatever was going on between him and the prince. While he held him close Luis closed his useless eyes, deep in thought about dragons and royals.

"I'm not, i just happen to know someone that turns everything he touches into gold." 


	2. Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anxieties of a self aware character stuck in a situation of too much expectations and no outcomes.

'I hate it

I hate it, i hate it' 

The thought echoed inside his head ,  he just arrived from a day full of work, unbareable, tedious work. He must have been at least three hours on that interview, five on the damned photoshoot, hell, how much did he spent at the gym this morning? Whatever the math was Luis did not had time to spare and it burned him. 

He walked into the apartment around half an hour ago, carrying a heavy bag piled with clothing as his brand shoes just clashed against the floor with the weight of the man with stone on his blood. He noticed that since he change of - substance- his feet always did that. He was so heavy but at lest he did not smell rotten. 

Tossing the bag to the nearest couch, he walked straight into his room and ignored the lilac woman that was watching television with his tiger. Tona has gotten so close to Valencia lately and he had no idea why. It did not bother him though, the contrary: it meant Tona would be off his back sooner. 

Undoing his hair and taking off his jacket the drica collapsed on the bed, undoing the braid of his hair soon after as he just took a moment to relax. 

Lukas was out of town again, like he always was thanks to his duty in the royal family. They kissed each other goodbye maybe two weeks ago and it started to show in how the model became impatient and anxious constantly. He would never tell a soul but he hated seeing him leave to places he didn't deemed safe. The worst being the lack of capability to communicate they had. If Luis just could use a damn phone, if his eyes worked for once. 

He shook the thought away and slowly crawled under the bedsheets curling as the delicate material warmed the cold blooded man up. His stomach was growling but the man ignored it. Right now he needed sleep. Sleep and relaxation an- 

Luis groaned loudly. There they were, the idiots talking again. Voices of alternative versions of him all connected to the network that was their concious. At first it was hard to get the hang of it and establish a decent line of communication but after years he finally managed to do so. All of this to his dismay because what was worse than being alone with his own thoughts? Being alone with his and many other him's thoughts. At this point he just tried to shut them out from all the talking. Meditating helped, exercise helped... Lukas helped. But he had none of those so he was stuck hearing about him asking for advice on how to slaughter a sea dragon to another him that already did it years ago. 

That was another thing that haunted him on the network. Not all of the things that happened to them will happen to him. He learned the hard way. 

Some were princes or even kings already, others were not even models, some were happy. And then there was him. 

They called him the "canon" one. Luis never understood what that term meant but he did understood it encompassed something important enough for none of them to ever give him the tricks to solve his own issues. And that is fine, don't help. But he was not going to help them either. 

He just wanted them to shut up. 

Another loud groan. He covered his face with a pillow. The man just wanted to rest yet the thought of everything just kept stockpiling on him. This always happened, every day he was this tired and - 

He curled up slightly. For a forty-three year old man acting like a kid, shameful disgrace he was. Everyone always set up impossible standards for him, they said he was perfect, he is supposed to be perfect. Given all these gifts and capabilities almost as if to mock him that even with the best materials the man cannot craft a life worth two cents. 

Three years back, this would be the time he would have grabbed the nearest vodka and chugged it down in one go, letting it burn his insides as it just hit into his system. It would calm the voices down. It would let him rest. He was not the man he was three years back, though. He bowed to stop drinking after Quint came back. After all it was him in a drunken walk the one that caused the- 

The drica screeched now, trying to shut it up, the more he thought about it the more it would stockpile. Sometimes he asked himself how did his father handle to be the way he was. After all he was the man of the household now, he was supposed to be the one people fall back on and he tried to be such. But after not only being the cause of half of the misery his friends suffered he had only manage to break more castles than build them. Just constantly entering some emotional fit and breaking things around just because the world owed him a favor. He was THE Luis Hallifax, Mr self esteem, the one people looked at when they wanted a example of someone that simply powered through. But here he was, after a stressful long day, missing his boyfriend that was gods knows where. Was he always this clingy? Not to mention how damn hungry and - 

He threw the pillow at a wall, the sound of dusty books falling that he will never read again yet he kept in hopes that maybe. 

Maybe one day he will be given his eyes back. 

Why did he do the damned trial in the first place? After the fire, he could have slipped through the gates and simply leave this stupid world. Valencia would have handled alone. Quint would have never died, Tobias would never be taken and ripped into pieces like a old doll. The blind man could swear they all hated him in some way, they all stared at him with anger and boiling plot of revenge. After all HE was the one that forsaken them to begin with. HE was the source of their problems. Yet they still smiled at him, they laughed with him, they told him they cared. 

Oh gods what if they are just lying. 

What if its all a act and he is falling for it. 

Oh dear lords all mighty what if Lukas was putting up an act. 

"Luisen cut the nonesense" 

The man suddenly felt the tears that were trailing through his face, where they there? He didn't notice. He didn't notice he was sitting on the floor, scratching the bench he had as decoration inside his room. He also did not notice the enourmous white tiger standing at the door, blue icy eyes staring straight into the man, not that he could notice. 

With his headsets he could sense though, how Val shifted and stared from the living room at the commotion he was making locked up inside his room. 43 years and a brat, he repeated to himself. Look at the scene you're making again. Why can't you control yourself? 

"I can hear you overthinking from the living room." 

The tiger wasn't moving her mouth, neither was Val, but he did recognize the voice. It was indeed Tona doing her thing. Her thing as in talking inside his head, adding another voice to the pile he heard far deep. For some reason she did make them quieter. 

Tona was a cub when he found her. A small white fragile thing in the depths of the dark market inside the city. She was ten now. Ten years old which made her a adult with a lot of attitude. 

Fathering her was a journey on its own, from the destroyed objects around the house to teaching her that his hosts weren't food. But what most difficult it was, the acceptance that she is his familiar. A spellcaster always needed a familiar, may be a critter or a book, sorcerers always bared allies of the non human kind. Luis on himself wasn't really a keen sorcerer. After coming back he learned what he needed to stay afloat. Energy manipulation, maybe some defense tactics, his very known weaponizing of his astral body. But even though he was a follower of Grusha's path he never had interest in the sorcerer traditions, he really just wanted to be able to defend himself from everything that was thrown at him in the daily. Of course it was not easy, Ava did what she couldto teach him. Sadly the only thing he managed to master was echolocation through energy, the main source of sight, his only one. Yet he was dipped in water and he was blind for good. 

Nonetheless Tona accepted the burden to his familiar. She may have been five when it happened. He can still remember how painful it must have been for her. Bonding with a dead man. Sometimes he asked himself if part of her was dead as well. After all familiars die with their sorcerers. Her coat had whitened. At least thats what Valencia said but Tona still had some body heat inside her. In comparison to him, who was cold as a corpse. She went through everything. Including the blood transfusion. Even though it was not directly his sister told how she convulsed on the floor the three days they drained the rotten yellow blood off him and replaced it with god knows what. He knew it was liquid and that it tasted like the crystals everyone consumed to replenish their Bo. He knew he needed to consume them as well to keep his bloodline stable after bleeding out. Tona sometimes ate some too. 

Whatever the point is, that tiger must have gone through void and back. And still she remained with him. 

Her soft feet made small thuds on the floor as he sat next to him. She was almost his size, enormous. With that she yawned, the long, spiked and monstrous mouth showing. Tigers were so strange. The fact their tongues were a fifth hand, how they could articulate so well. Nonetheless she laid against him. The tail swishing from side to side as she stared forward like him. 

"We missed you, you totally should have been there for the marathon of Five Feet Under. I swear some of the ways those guys went out was ridiculous." 

"Hey" 

He only answered, showing the place his mind was at the moment. 

The feline crawled over him, laying her weight on him as a way to give him her warmth. That was always helpful for him. The drica lived for warmth, he craved it so much after the change. He missed the times he was able to create warmth of his own. But now he was nothing but a cold body walking around. 

The man was thankful, he hugged the giant animal like a pillow, purring into her fur as a way of thanking her for the kind gesture. Tona responded, purring back trying to calm his head from whatever its bothering him. 

"Remember, years ago when i first started to be able to have thoughts longer than primal commands, that i caught you screaming at a plant and i started screaming at it too? What was up with that?" 

Her voice sounded so soft inside his head, gentle and calming. Like laying in a soft warm bed after a day out of the cold. He let out a soft laugh, finally, something positive out of the mass of negativity that he was. 

"I think you didn't get it but it was a pink orchid. Got pissed cause i thought, you know, was messing with me. I could swore they turned to look at me. So i kind of.... had a tantrum, like a baby.

I was a stupid asshole years ago. It's a bit embarassing you only experienced those years in my life." 

There was a sudden silence between them, as if they were respecting the subject a bit. Or maybe just basking in shame, either worked. 

"I used to be way more level headed. Before all went down. I wished i could go back to that, an even boat that sailed swiftly. Not this endless storm that kills people by the dozen. 

It's more shameful than pityful. Like a character development gone backwards.

You deserve so much more Tata, i am sorry." 

She rose up, placing a paw on his face, thank Hoa her claws were retracted. 

"Hey. Am i hearing a puchero?" 

"I am not whining because i'm a brat, i am not-" 

"Sounds like a puchero to me." 

Puchero was a term they used for when one of them threw a tantrum. It also was followed by one of them mimicking the other trying to make them look silly. And thats what she did. She mustered a put as she could with that long snoot of hers. And started mimicking his tone of voice mockingly. The man returned a more silly pout. 

"Sounds like someone doesn't need their extra salmon on their plate next week then." 

The tiger opened her jaw as if he just insulted her mother. 

"You wouldn't dare! That fish are mine to feast on. I'll eat your fancy extra fur if you dare do that to me."

"Tona, clothes aren't extra fur, they are like.. coccoons. Fancy ones. But fine, i don't want you eating my design shirts again anyways" 

He leaned closer to the animal, staring forward with his useless eyes as he let out a small sigh. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

Tona finally said, with a more delicate tone on her voice. The man sighed but ended up nodding slightly. 

"I was thinking about... the same old deal. You know how i am naturally, like insanely overpowered. Character wise, i am what people would consider a gary-stu, an unbalanced character that has too much arsenal on their plate. And i am aware of this. 

But why can't i make things work right then? Whats the point of being so capable of things if non of them turn out in a good outcome? I hear whispers of stories where these characters defeat nations, fall in love, marry, genuinely progress in mere pages but i take seven years to even date the man i like and when i do i ruin it in some way. Like no joke i am so needy i am genuinely scared he thinks i am only dating him to fuck him. Which isn't the case but i just feel.. good when i have him laying on top of me with that golden smile. He is a gift, for me, the gary-stu, yet i cannot even manage to properly express my love for him. I love him bare, unarmored, when i see all of him, and he sees all of me... when we dont judge , we just ... appreciate. We love each other. But does he really love me the way i think? I am enough for him? Will i ruin him? What if i ruin him the way i ruined all my friends? 

How can i be a good, working gary stu for him? 

I am tired of always failing. 

I feel like the only reason i was given the ability to even avoid death is because i was made to be a punching bag, a laughing stock.

Sometimes i would die to be on the back, that thing no one cares about. Maybe if i was like that, i could properly go up to him and muster the courage to say half of the things i cant now. 

I want to be better Tona. 

I really am. I am tired of this endless cycle of nonesense that i waltz in for the sake of moving things around. 

If it means giving all the gifts i was given to someone else and be a normal person, if it means lasting just a day, i would still do it. 

I want to be normal. 

Cut the "i am not like other people" nonesense.

This is a curse. And it just. 

Boils up in me. 

Luis Hallifax. 

The Gary-Stu that isn't even good at that. 

I can't even lift a finger without doing something wrong. 

Just watch, how what i am saying will be transcribed just to make fun of how much i fail. 

Here he goes again, the 43 year old brat ranting again while he should be fucking thankful about the life he has. I am rich, i am famous, i have dope friends, i can change the world if i wanted to. 

But what the hell is the point if i cannot even do one damn thing right. 

I'll be always walking backwards.

Like the blind fuck i am." 

He did not realized tears were streaming down again, it was part of his character, for some reason he couldn't tell when he was balling his eyes out. He didn't felt it until it reached his mouth. A short sniff followed, cleaning his face with his marked palms. 

The tiger laid down again, thinking for a moment as her tail swished around. 

"In my humble opinion" 

She started 

"I do not know what exactly you're going through. You have a network i cannot access, guaranteed with the perception of things beyond the veil. But as a individual that watches from the side lines. These "nobodies" you talk about. I feel like you do send out a positive message. 

Determination. 

You may not be a superman but i have never seen someone that has failed so much and tried again without a second thought. You accidentally caused the undoing of your friends, yes, but have you stopped to consider why they still hang around you? 

You have this... determination to achieve things, that no one has. You want something and you will try everything to get it. 

You are stupid, may i say the most stupid man i have ever known, that we have it clear. But it is through your stupidity that you managed to progress people's life into the better. 

Your determination inspires others. 

Your mate, this blonde man i see more often. Yes, you two may be as horny as teenagers but at the same time you are giving him the chance he never had to explore himself. I see his face, he is lighter. And that is because your stupidity inspires him to loosen up and take risks. 

The only negative i see here is that you're so stubborn that your fragile masculinity will be ruined by opening up you just boil yourself alive in thoughts that sometimes the echo inside your hollow skull makes them ten times more scary than what they are. 

Sometimes the scary thoughts come back, the memories of what you were put through to get you here. But you have friends to support you. You are not made of steel.

So i want you to go through they door and tell Valencia how you feel." 

The man was in fact, a bit offended, but he couldn't really deny any of the statements. They were all true after all. 

"I can't drop a bomb like that on her she is having a good day." 

"I will chew your face out." 

He let out a deep sigh, finally standing from the dark room and looking at the living room. The woman was in fact looking in, worried. She stopped watching the television minutes ago when she started hearing the first sobs from the room. 

He faced her, silent as his headsets adjusted on place. 

Finally what broke the silence was the woman. 

"Lu, do you want to talk about it?" 

Normally when it comes to Valencia, his answer was always no. He kept his business out of her life since she had on her plate too much already. Thats what he said at least, though it would be an option to talk to her. Get a second opinion or simply... tell her what bothers him. 

He walked slowly to the edge of the room, stopping at the doorframe as if he was deciding to jump off or not. 

"Actually" 

He finally spoke up. 

"Yeah... if you don't mind." 

He sat down at the living room with her, they ordered really terrible takeout and talked the night away. 

From anxieties to hopes and dreams. The siblings simply filled the air with chitter chatter of different kinds. As the night went on, Luis was more talkative. 

The white tiger heard from afar as she rested in the most nearby available sofa, chewing on a sock she found around the house. 

When it was late and he went to his room, the voices were calm. 

Actually,

He heard absolutely non of them. 

As he slid into the bed again, he pulled up the blankets to cover himself and smiled slightly. 

It was a good night.


	3. A punch for the road.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an inciden in the middle of a mission to strip a political party from their information, Luis finds himself being beaten up by the same people that protect the prince no matter what. He has to lie to keep his character going, costing him a few punches to the gut.

' Okay try to recall what happened. 

This morning you woke up next to him, kissed each other goodbye and headed off to work. Then you had that long photoshoot and- right. The party . '

The man winced as he felt his face swallow up with time. They had him locked inside this place for at least three hours now. Beat him up once. Probably because they wanted some answers. Or maybe they wanted to use him as bait. Whatever the case was, Luis could feel the small trail of blood coming from his nose. They didn't bother blindfolding him, he's blind after all. But they did tried to take the headsets off him to their surprise, radiated one dry. 

Two hours ago he was at the party with the larvas that called themselves politicians. He was trying to bard his way through some answers with the council when everything just went black out of nowhere. The model could recall the people screaming and the windows crashing but not how they got him tied and dragged to what looked like some abandoned storage unit in the piers, that is what he could make out by the humid area and the salty air around them. He has been acting dumb since he woke up, unmoving, unblinking. Making sure they couldn't know he was awake. They tried to beat him up awake, in their eyes that did not work, thinking the wine he downed at the party was so much they dragged out a drunken bastard. 

Finally, by a accidental flip of a headset, he gave out his condition which made one of them pull his head up by his hair and stare right at him. 

"Wake up whore." 

He spat out. 

The only thing the echolocation could make out from it was that he was wearing a sort of ski mask, making impossible to recognize any sort of features. Gods if he could only see color he could at least be able to know the shade of his eyes. 

"W-where am i..?" 

Yes, act dumb, that will work.  He forces his sigils down, those glowing light blue trails that cover his skin when he overworks his body. They were a sign of hostility, the mere glance of them he will get thrown to the sharks.  Long strands of messy wine red hair covered his face now as he tried to act like he was as lost as a actually blind man.

"We are the ones that will ask the questions Mr. Hallifax." 

Another punch to the gut, shit this one hurt.  He winced as he could feel how the overpriced food he ate this morning just started going up to his mouth. 

"I-i don't know what you want.

If you need money just take my wallet, please let me go." 

Begging for it in the drunkest tone he can do. He was supposed to be just a model that got up the ranks by mere luck after all. Defenseless and susceptible,pretty face to show on the media that would convince that at least what the council was planning wasn't wrecked filth. He started acting more desperate, Valencia always said he was bad at acting , he exaggerated everything. But as he pulled from the ties and thrashed around the five people around him seemed to buy it.  There were five of them, he could notice now as he tilted the devices on his head. Maybe adults, two males and three females. They looked unarmed except the tallest male, he had a sort of gun on him.  There we go, he will be first.  Now he just needed to get himself beat up enough to play dead which meant that he had to piss them off. 

"I told everyone, i don't do services anymore. Buuuuut I know some people are into these weird kidnapping fantasies but look if you untie me i won't tell and we can just have a good time. I am not picky, that place was boring anyways." 

The drica tried to muster a shy smile as he exposed his sharp teeth to his captors. 

"This guy is disgusting" 

The shortest female muttered to another, probably witnessing how he threw himself in to a unwilling orgy that quick. 

"Listen up blind fuck, we want to know what is your deal with the prince." 

Straight to the point, how he liked it. 

Ah. 

So it was about him. 

"Ohhhhh prince boyyyy. 

That guy, he really should get laid you know. I offered him a good fuck but he was soooo stuck up on his bullshit traditions. 

We are just.... some old friends. I help him, he helps me, who knows maybe in the future i get to fuck him in the end and it will get him in so much problems that he will finally leave that stuck up bitchy ego of his.

Look if you think i am here doing a big move or some shit you'll be disappointed cause the only thing u want from him is to claw that soft as- " 

Lying felt natural at this point, but it was also disgusting to him. He got a punch straight in the throat for that one, deserved really. He called him bitch. Gods he was going to apologize so badly for that one later.  Coughing and spitting out slightly, he tried to force his way out of the ties as he continued speaking. 

"Look man, you got the wrong guy. I can't even fucking see for fucks sakes do you think i would fuck around with that type of shit? I don't care for all this political nonsense, i want to give my sister a nice life and just try to make life less shit for the people that aren't born inside a gods damned castle. "

That last one part sounded a bit more honest but it got him a punch to the gut again. This time falling back from the chair and hitting his hands against the solid ground as all the weight started crashing over them. Luis yelped out in pain, if there was something he hated ruining were his hands. Now he was on the floor, his hair was touching the disgusting floor, ugh.  
One of the females now was nudging him with her foot as he coughed up some more blue substance, wincing slowly as he could feel the heavy hits just ruined something inside. The guy beating him was a Baskar, for sure.

"We know who your friends are, we know who you talk to. Stop trying to hold up the charity act on us because it wont work." 

Her tone sounded authoritarian, almost as if-

"Ah. Military? I thought you guys shouldnt be messing with politics. You all really are dogs to the king, do you need me to get you a bone?" 

With a bloody smile, Luis snorted out. These guys, the radical party that was deadset on defending the royals from all threats, all means possible. It is reasonable they thought he was here just to corrupt Lukas into leaving his position or just make him fail further as a heir. The public was very polarizing with their thoughts about his lover. Luis' position wasnt against or for the royals, he had one king only and it was not the old hag wielding an axe. The 41 year old was his king. He served Lukas as a knight. Loyal, but for this he needed to hide his tracks well enough so no one knew he was stealing information off the big fish for him.

These guys were technically on his side but they did not follow his morals. Lukas would never allow this kind of dirty jobs to happen, kidnapping and torturing for answers, how medieval. 

He got kicks for his previous comment and for his next. 

"Does your prince know that you're harassing his business partner in his name? Look i may have only known him that well in college but i know hes not that type of guy." 

Finally, a kick directly to the face. This one was it, he angered them enough and they slipped. Time to play dead. Just like that he did just that, laying limp as he was tied to the chair, pulling the old unblinking eyes trick to fool them into it. Cutting off enough oxygen to look like he stopped breathing. Staring into nothingness, just bleeding. If a dead man is good at something, is at being dead.

"You knocked him out!" 

The other female sounded pissed as they pushed off the one kicking, shoving them to a side as they started examining vitals. Dumb fucks. He didn't need vitals. Tuning down his body low enough would cut off his beating, it took a while to get the hang of that trick but everyone always fell for it. 

"He's flatlined" one reassured. 

"Drop him off at a wellness center to reanimate him. He still has a week till his bo goes out." 

One of them left the room, the taller male was still there.  It took them a while to finally tie him off and place him on a table. He managed to overhear them enough without giving himself away, though he felt how his conciousness slowly left his grasp. He almost drifted away until he felt a hand through his thigh, the male with the weapon, it just contemplated him as he understood his body. Naturally attracted to it by the mere charm of the dricas. The delicate curves, the sharp edges. 

"I kinda understand why he gets so much coin" 

He mused, suddenly stopping. 

"Can't we make a good deal for his body? Sponsors would die to get him back. Maybe we -" 

He was caught by one of the females. 

"Boss said to keep a low profile." 

But as Luis felt the hand getting closer to his torso his skin crawled further and further he started assuming the worst. He could handle hits but this - 

In a small move he swiftly yanked the man back, the small blue energy showing he jumpstarted himself back into action.  With the weapon on the man's head he moved his headsets around as he locked them down.  He couldn't see not be able to have much spatial awareness at the moment but that did not stop him from acting like he did.

"You are going to let me go or i will put a darn bullet through his head." 

The male shuffled, the drica trying his best to keep him on place. 

"Sick bastards i am going to go straight to your fucking majesty and tell that a group of his people were touching me, sick fucks. " 

And he wanted to. Not being any stranger to violence of any kind.  His arm gave out obviously being stupid enough to try to outmatch a damn soldier. Everything went fast.  He felt the fist that knocked him out for good, heard the wall breaking as a red vehicle bursted in. 

He felt eyes. So many eyes. 

Then he felt nothing.   
Something carried him, something huge. He could swear on his pride it smells like Quint but there was something off about it. 

____________

He woke up in a run down apartment at the edge of the city. The familiar smell of rusty metal and scented candles covered him as the faint noise of keyboard tapping cane from his left. There were things connected to him, could faintly feel the needles under his skin. 

"He's awake" 

A familiar voice said, it was Tobias who was crouching in front of his laptop as he kept on writing lines of code while probably playing a videogame on the side. He did not care to take his eyes off the screen. He never did.  Quint's muscular arms suddenly lifted his back as he let out a small groan of pain. 

"Don't be a bitch, it wasn't that bad." 

Ah yes Quint, nothings too bad for you.  
"They beat my meat and not in the way i wanted"

Luis said, making a half smile as he tried to get his shit together. Then he followed it by;  "Im not into it." 

He was given something to eat, mostly to recover what he lost in the sudden outburst of energy he had while trying to play tough guy. 

"After we stopped hearing you over the comm we suspected you got taken. They were stupid enough to leave breadcrumbs" 

Quint said, slowly bandaging up his arm. The bodyguard always looked like the most terrifying thing ever and it scared people shitless but it was on these times where you got to know the real man behind the letterman jacket. A caring dude and respectable friend that may be silent but always there when you need him. When he was done patching up, he slowly plugged him off and picked the 42 year old model as if a child. 

"What are you doing?" 

Luis complained. 

"You're napping." 

"What the fuck i am not a child i'm not going to -" 

"Now" ah yes there it was, the tone of consequence. Luis knew better, so not wanting to get punched in the face again he simply

"Yes sir."

He got placed on a sofa, it wasnt comfortable but enough for what was needed at the time.  Quint still was around, texting or at least... attempting to. Since Lukas gave him a phone he has been willing to learn. This is his fifth one now since he has the tendency to break them. 

"You need to stop fighting against these type of guys Luis, your body cannot take any more blows, why didn't you just stay put and waited till we found you?" 

He did not answer this, actually, he just turned around and acted as if he was more willing to sleep now. 

The truth was it took him some hours to sleep again, it was always hard for him when it comes to sleep. Mostly because of the fact that they were followed with empty thoughts or night terrors, there was no in between. His dreams were just a black void of eyes watching him, every so intently as he just floated in the middle of nothingness. They creeped towards him like a snake slowly sizing its prey. The dream always ended before the eyes got too close. This time waking up by soft hands slowly caressing his jaw.   
“hey”  
a breathless worried voice came from next to him. Then the headsets started working better he could identify it.  
"Honeypie what are you doing here?" 

He tried to struggle himself off the sofa just to be stopped by the prince next to him who looked so worried he might as well grow grey hairs. 

"I heard about it on the news and got worried, sorry i was not there i - 

I should have known better maybe if i just spared some time in between meetings..

Bloody hell, what have i done-" 

He seemed to apologize just to be stopped by Luis who simply respondedwith 

"Please do not lay this on you, we both know it was impossible to predict them. You're putting yourself in jeopardy Lukas you shouldn't be here." 

The blonde did not cared, he picked his lover's hand and placed it against his cheek, feeling the rough callouses and leathery surface against him. It was enough to tell Luis that he was not going to reason with the prince's anxiety over losing him. 

"But i want to be with you." 

Is the only thing he got as a response. It made his stomach drop upon the realization that he never considered Lukas' opinion on the whole matter of barely seeing each other privately. He was used to on and off relationships where the parties never saw each other. But this? This was the prince's very first serious relationship.   
Before the thoughts could stockpile even more he moved slightly and opened his arms, moving his hand away.

"Come here. Im freezing." 

The blonde's expression shifted almost instantly as he just slid next to him as best as he could, wrapping himself around the drica like a cozy blanket. Giving him affection was the only way he knew how to help. They could figure out how to handle everything in a few hours. For now Quint simply left the room and let them keep each other warm and close. Trying to forget for a while the whole reality surrounding them and the rising threat it posed. Sometimes they just needed some time to ... stop thinking so much.

"I'm sorry" Luis finally interrupted, which made Lukas rise slightly, confused by the statement. "I- called you a bitch in front of them." Luis clarified which made Lukas smile and snort.  
"You get beat up with three fractured ribs and your biggest worries is that you called me a female dog?" The human went back to wrapping himself around Luis, snuggling into him. "You can fake it all you want in front of them, it does not harm me, i know your true feelings?"

"And those are?" 

"That you're helplessly in love with me." 

A laugh came from Luis, loud and hearty before he placed a kiss on his cheek. 

"Damn right i am" 

The nap wasn't much, but he remembers dreaming about something different this time...a nice cabin in the middle of the woods, a autumn breeze and him holding the prince's hand, on it a golden shiny ring.


	4. Lethargy: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In depth exploration into character psychology

Not always they traveled to the humid and cluttered rainforest areas of the Decora region. When they did though, it is often to talk to providers about the different fibers and samples they make here. If Decora knew anything, it was to make good garments. Thanks to the geography they managed to get a private island next to the capital for their stay. Sometimes Luis thanked his "business partner" was son of maybe the most wealthy family in the continents. Lukas has told him about how the king denies him of his rightful income as prince but he never cared enough to sever the ties between him and the thousands of establishments the royal family had access to. They asked to be left alone until the next meeting which would happen roughly in two days. Thankfully they were given just that. As they left the small luggage on the side of the entrance Lukas just stormed through the door already complaining about how the weather made his skin messed up and sweaty. Luis let out a small chuckle, closing the door as he heard the boat leave and walking up to him, holding him in place by softly placing his hands on his hips and smiling. It catered to Lukas' lack of control around his smile. It was like a deadly poison, each time the model grinned or showed any positive reaction he just melted inside. 

He loved it so much. 

"Finally we got some time alone." 

Luis said, his thick accent twisting slightly the pronunciation of the words. He closed his eyes and gently kissed at his neck, leaving a small trail of cold on the spots his icy lips touched the hot skin of the prince. 

"How about we calm down and maybe just cuddle for a while. I can keep you fresh." 

The teasing was enough for Lukas to finally cool off and let out a small chuckle. 

"Who could have said your cold blooded butt could be of use." 

"Excuse me, it may be cold, but it is a nice ass." 

Whatever seriousness there was on the teasing stopped as both men just giggled. The blonde pulled back, shaking his head slightly. 

"I really need a shower, we can cuddle later." 

He was responded by a whine and more theatrics. 

"Can i at least join? I have been prince-deprived for four weeks, do you know how terrible that is Lukas? I suffer a horrible condition." 

"Oh really? How is it called?" 

"Needy bitch-itis." 

"I told you to stop calling yourself that."

"I am joking-" 

"Joking or not, we talked about it. Youre not- a man of the night, not anymore." 

Lukas sounded stubborn, as if he was pressing into the subject with a certain unwanted seriousness. Maybe it just hit the wrong places. He started taking off the formal clothes he was forced to wear, first the long black jacket with golden details, then the shirt- revealing his massive scarred back to the air. He felts cold hands touching his belly as Luis hugged him from behind, kissing his back and neck again which sprouted a small complaint and grin from the crowned prince. 

"Gods Hoa knows you're stubborn." 

Lukas said while trying to hide the fact he was loving the attention. Luis chuckled in a reply, just wanting to make it clear that the four weeks of separation and lack of romantic contact did not change at all how much he loved him. He was stubborn about it, yes, but just because he wanted to make it absolutely clear how much he loved him. Every inch of every scar on his back. He was stopped by the man in front of him who turned around and pecked his lips. 

"Let's go to the shower, seriously." 

Showers for the decora were things they needed to remain healthy, always distilling the best rivers for purified water. The bathroom of this household didn't need to be this tacky.. or big. But here they were. Walking into what looked like a giant bath adorned with plants of all sorts that slowly grew into the material. Plants keeps the air purified of corrupted bo. That is something decora loved to say. Luis didn't really believe any of it though. It took a moment for Lukas to figure out how it worked but within fifteen minutes they were looking at a fresh bath. Luis had found the towels (someway) and they managed to get some extract for the hair. What did bother the prince though is that he forgot his razor, that will bite him in the ass later. His father will bite him, to specify. For now he got in and took a deep breath, trying to adjust himself to a bath filled with roots and plants around. As if bathing in a river on the middle of a jungle. He leaned back and closed his eyes, finally getting some silence before he felt two cold hands grabbing his waist. The blonde did not open his eyes, though. 

"To think so many people have been caressed by those hands. How many were this time, casanova? Five?" 

The crowned prince seemed to be trying to hint it as a joke but it came off absolutely serious. The hands left his skin. 

The drica who was trying to make a gentle gesture back off and sink itself into the water. Draining it of its warmth. 

"Three. " 

Luis clarified. 

"But non of them lead to-" 

"I don't care." 

Lukas interrupted. He really, truly, did not want to know about how many people Luis romanced to keep up his image of the world's richest whore. Politicians, influencers, they all wanted a taste of him. He couldn't just stop because he has a secret lover, that would raise suspicion. But Lukas still did not like sharing at all. He hated it, actually. It made his blood boil. He breathed in again and cracked a smile. 

"Its okay. I understand." 

"Babe we talked abou-" 

The blind man tried to follow up, catching on to what he was saying in the subtext of his words. He pulled the 'babe' which he only did when he felt like a dog, his tail between his legs. 

"Look. Luisen. 

I have no way of controlling who you are. I know about your condition and i know how selfish it would be for me to request to hold yourself back knowing that you genuinely cant help it. But i still get angered. I have the right to be angry. You're sleeping with the same people that want me dead." 

The blonde was using a rather truthful tone, eyes still closed as his hand gestured how he was trying to come off. 

"So yeah. Sometimes i feel weird when you touch me knowing someone like Palatena did the exact same thing to you. But again, i understand. We are trying to get them to like you so you - romance your way in. Is what you do best. You flirt.I just.. sometimes wished it wasn't that way.  
I have the right to be upset. It gets to me.

I am not stopping you or your plans.You are your own being. I just sometimes wish my boyfriend didn't always appear in magazines talking about how he fucked a rich politician and got into parlament." 

Luis was genuinely upset by his comments but he had no right to complain because they were all facts. He hated that. For a change he decided to not answer. Simply soaking while he lowered into the water, only his eyes peeking above it. There was silence after that. As if a unwanted tension happened between them. They both hated when this happened. They barely get instances to be together like this and here they are wasting it on negative conversations. It was not long before the prince sighed loudly moving to grab the drica by his torso and dragging him close, hugging him. 

"I'm not mad" 

He tried to clarify. 

"Just disappointed at how things are." 

Luis took a deep breath, placing his hand on his lovers' hips and trying to to try to approach things the best way possible. 

"I am as well" 

The drica spoke up, finally making Lukas open his eyes. His tone sounded.. saddened? Off character for him. 

"With Grusha present i want to make it absolutely clear i do not have any joy from being.. who i am. It all comes back to her, it all reminds me of her. The deception, the lying. My skin crawls when i flirt with them. But thinking of you... is what makes it bareable." 

He took a moment to organize his thoughts. Realizing that he couldn't flirt his way through this one. In reality, Luis used flirting as a coping mechanism of sorts. Putting this second mask and acting like all is fine. 

"The mere thought of you, all the things you go through because of those.. parasites. Its all worth it thinking that in the end we'll crush them like the dirt they are." 

His grip tightened. Lukas wanted to complain about the nails on his skin but he let it pass, realizing Luis was having a moment. He never got to see him like this, opening up that is. Opening up and Luis Hallifax are not two things that go together. But here they were. 

"I think about you and about Valencia. And suddenly all is worth it. The lies, the deception, the .. sellout.If me being a whore means you two will have a future where you will not jump in fear at the nearest sound, then so be it i will slip into the beds of as many politicians as i can and detest every second of it while keeping a smile on my face." 

Finally he got silent, probably done with his train of thought- or dwelling too much into it. The prince suspected that maybe, the love of his life finally started taking the anti-depressants they were given to him. It was strange, that for once, he didn't spiral into a road of self pity. Lukas placed a soft kiss on his neck, the place more sentimental for him. Once there were chains there. Not anymore, never again. 

"I love you too." 

He simply responded which made the drica hug him tighter and bury his face on his chest. There it was. It seems that both have had a rough couple of weeks. It was easy to forget Luis was actually one of the most needy people on the planet. Not because of his sexual drive but because of how much emotional reassurance he needs from the people he trusts. That hug and smile can make him last five months in the trenches. Behind this stern ego driven wall of his he may be the most selfless man the prince knows. The bath was continued by just the two men cuddling each other and cooling off. Eventually when wrinkles started showing up on their handles they decided to wash themselves and call it a day. It seemed they started dozing off while they were grabbing something for dinner, Luis not caring to finish and wobbling his way to the master bedroom, his crystal headsets finding their way over but obviously moving awkwardly because its host was tired. Eventually he plopped into the bed, not caring to even change his evening clothes. Just taking off his button-up shirt and throwing it to a corner before he curled into a ball and slept away. Lukas took longer, he ate silently as he thought about the conversation that happened minutes ago, the golden fork he had on his hand poking the grape on his plate. It was not unheard of to have second thoughts in relationships, mostly for long distance couples like these. But this time it was stronger- and relating to other things. To his jealousy, envy, to his hatred of sharing what he wanted to claim as his. Was he being spoiled? He never has been on a relationship before. Was it supposed to be like this? Maybe he was just too bad of a boyfriend. Even though Luis may not act like it... maybe he thinks it...

Suddenly he heard a hand crept on his shoulder. Hoa tried to reassure him, in their monstrous presence he was so used to see since he was five. Their multiple arms, disjointed jaw, spider appendages, hissing and clacking that he seemed to understand. They were crawling the ceiling, staring down with their hair almost covered his face. Sometimes he found amusing how other people couldn't feel them near- nor see her. Luis was there the whole time and he didn't realize how they stole the apple pieces from his plate or how they munched on the bread. But this time he didn't want to talk to them- they won't make sense anyways. With a small flick of his shoulder he managed to push the hand away, Hoa understanding what this meant. He wanted to be alone. Eventually the silence took over the room. Lukas being left with his own thoughts and finally having some time to spare. 

He tried to organize what he was feeling. First and mostly- he missed his dogs and Fruit loops, his little toucan. The baby toucan was left with a professional that would look after while he was gone but he still missed the screaming and whining he did. How he puffed up when people got near and always took his melon cubes away and up on his perch. He also missed his mother, she has been on duty for half a year now and has not crossed more dialogue with her other than hellos and goodbyes. He missed Quint, who always woke him up at unholy hours and kicked him to the shower because he smelled like six dogs and a toucan- the scent never left anyways. The weather definitely made him grumpy, the problem of the razor was still present. That made him scratch the scruffy beard he was starting to grow. Recently newspapers started gossip about him being sloppy and dating random women. That frustrated him since he wouldn't ever touch a woman that way, he just didn't swing that way. Vimbai was still acting weird to him since he got with Luis. She didn't answer her calls as much and said it was about work being overbearing. Overall everything was crap and he seemingly had to deal with it some way. He wished he wasn't a adult, responsible for so many things he never asked for. Hell he inherited a whole military. What was he going to do with that? He didn't want to follow his parents footsteps and work all day telling men to die in the trenches of the war. 

He finally got to stab through the grape. 

Eating it fast and shaking the thoughts away as he took the plates to the kitchen. He was supposed to have fun now, he'll think about all these things when he goes to the next reunion to try linen. He washed things, categorized them in the dryer and called it a day. Assuming that maybe waking up early tomorrow would be more productive that sitting in the dark till the four moons show up in the sky. He slipped his way into the bed, under the covers, by lifting Luis' arm up. He closed his eyes for a moment before he realized he didn't change to his sleeping clothes. Groaning, he got back up just to do so. His mind drifted after that and he ended up on the porch of the house looking at the ocean. This took him back to the time when he was fifteen and his father was teaching him how to sail through the seas. Telling him stories about how his great grandfather used to battle leviathans in the cursed oceans. His father was all about that, narrations of manly men that through determination and honor defeated their foes. He bit his lip at the thought. Manly he used to say, yet here he is the unmanliest man of all the family tree. Coward and jealous. He shook his head. And what? He asked himself as he stood up, grabbing a pebble and tossing it into the ocean. 

"Difference is not evil." 

He reassured himself. It was a mantra his friend, a librarian called Lorcan, told him when they started talking more. Right after his mother Chimeg told him in front of the whole council that he was "special" and "different" than other boys, trying to justify herself for not convincing her husband to hand over the crown yet. 

"I am special, which means i am the wheels of change." 

It seemed to be mostly a self reassurance, tossing yet another pebble. He hated working with emotions, he always felt them too extreme. The most tiny details can burst him into tears. It was impossible to rationalize them. Which is why he felt a tear down his cheek, making its way and slowly opening the bottle of emotions he just always tends to keep hidden. Sometimes he wished he could sympathize better with people, maybe, just maybe, that would give him the satisfaction of knowing that what he does is right. But he always forgets to do it, just focusing on himself about everything. He learned how to mimic the act of looking worried or supportive but half the time he doesn't understand why he should, just that he should because of the visual cues people give him. Was he so spoiled he couldn't see further than himself? Almost on cue a yawn came from the deepest parts of himself. He really needed to sleep. Maybe filing these concerns and organizing them another day was the better call. By the moment he got into bed his mood changed. From frustrated when they first got here to saddened and finally now lethargic. With a sigh he turned on the master bed, his back facing the sleeping drica that not even the end of the world could wake up and closed his eyes. He needed alone time with his thoughts. So he did and finally slept. 

When he woke up the next day Luis' arms were around him, one hand holding his. His body chilly due to the exposure to the cold body of the model. Lukas didn't care to get out of bed. Many hands may have touched Luis just as there were instances he touched them but non of them were in the same affection and consideration as how he touched him. Careful delicate love, that is something those people will never get, it was his only. It was a selfish thought but it made him content. So he got closer and cuddled up in a comfortable position before continuing sleeping once again. He seemed to have met a resolution about his dilemma. The help of resting for the night did the trick. A few hours later he finally woke up again, this time also waking up the model which now was starting to shift around behind him. The blonde turned to phase him, his partner sniffing the air around him to "see" the change of position. He was always too lazy in the morning to properly use his headsets. 

"I made up my mind" 

The crowned prince suddenly said almost whispering as if not wanting to wake up someone else, doing a small shy smile. 

"I am not upset anymore." 

Luis raised an eyebrow at the sudden change. With the shitty mood he saw him with last night, he expected it to last a day or two. Rising an eyebrow he wondered what made the sudden change of heart. 

"And how your highness reached to such verdict so soon?" 

The wine tinted man's tone was raspy and tired, his accent even stronger when not all his braincells were there. He was never a morning person. 

"My burdens are not yours to carry. And- i had a rough couple of weeks i assume. It's rude to lash them onto you like that... sorry.

We barely get to be together and i don't want to waste them on things i can be upset about later when i'm alone. You know, i just scheduled the being upset at everything to a later date." 

That made absolutely no sense for Luis but you know what, he'll take it. He definitely made a mind note to try to ask him about whatever else is still upsetting him. Since in the context of what he said, it was easy to assume it was not just about him. He tried to answer with some witty remark to lift the mood up with but he already felt Lukas' soft lips against his. One hand of the prince gripping at his hair while he pulled him closer. He expected to maybe just eat breakfast and hug him but sloppy morning make-outs is cool in his list as well. Maybe he just needed some sort of physical comfort for now. Takes one to know one.

**Author's Note:**

> If you found this, congrats man how did you get here.  
If you're new: these are extra content on the stories and characters i draw in my Instagram (same name)  
I'm gonna start using this acc to write worldbuilding very now and then. First time at this and my main language ain't english, sorry if stuff is a lil wonky!


End file.
